Drug makers and regulators should consider the effects of nanoparticle size and surface when developing and monitoring therapies using nanoparticles, University College Dublin research suggests.

The researchers found that the “corona” (cloud of proteins and other biomolecules that adheres to a nanoparticle immersed in biological media) changes depending on the size of the nanoparticle and the charge on its surface, which can affect the particles’ therapeutic action in the body, such as what organs in the body are affected.